Posted on Sun, Jul. 16, 2006
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Snake hunts endangered in Pa.
The sport, a popular fund-raiser for some volunteer fire departments, faces
restrictions by the state.
By Dan Nephin
Associated Press

CROSS FORK, Pa. – About halfway down a steep mountain valley, amid
sun-warmed rocks and a tree stump, three timber rattlesnakes lay coiled, soaking up the
midmorning June sun.
Unafraid, Shane Hahn moved in.
With a tool that looked like a golf club with a hook, he gently grabbed the
venomous snake near its head, using his other hand to lift its thick body.
About 45 inches long, it had a black head and eyes, with dark crossbands – a
black-phase rattlesnake.
A member of the Keystone Reptile Club, Hahn, of Waynesboro, Pa., was
demonstrating the sport of snake hunting on the weekend of the 34th annual Cross Fork
Snake Hunt, an event he and his companions were helping to run.
Organized hunts in which snakes are caught, measured, and then later
released are big fund-raisers for a handful of volunteer fire departments, mostly in
northern Pennsylvania. Seven hunts were permitted by the state this season,
which ends July 31 – five by fire departments, two by sports clubs.

But the State Fish and Boat Commission is worried about declining numbers of
timber rattlesnakes, which are considered “species of concern,” and is
proposing new restrictions. Hunt organizers fear the rule changes could hurt
fund-raising.
“This is 90 percent of our money right here,” said Barry Gipe, spokesman for
the Kettle Creek Hose Company No. 1, which clears $18,000 to $20,000 from the
event in Cross Fork, Potter County.
Although only a few dozen or so people may participate in an organized hunt,
the weekend festivals can draw several thousand people. Prizes are given for
categories including longest rattlesnake (53 inches was the longest of 21
brought in this year at Cross Fork); most rattles (21 this year), and the heaviest
pair (6 pounds, 12 ounces this year).
The state wants to raise permit fees from $5 to $50, figuring that fewer
people will hunt snakes; establish a 42-inch minimum length in hopes of
protecting smaller females; limit a hunter’s participation to one organized hunt a
year; and ban sacking contests.
“The whole plan here is to strike a balance between a recreational use and
trying to allow the species to continue,” said Dan Tredinnick, spokesman for
the fish commission, which expects to vote on the new rules Tuesday.
Last year, 1,126 people got permits to hunt snakes and 160 were taken.
Participants in organized hunts cannot kill snakes, though state law allows hunters
to get a permit to kill one a year. The state does not have statistics on how
many were killed or kept in captivity.
Gipe and other beneficiaries of the hunts said they worried that the
proposed restrictions could lead to the demise of snake hunts.
Already, sacking contests are falling by the wayside.
Bill Wheeler Jr., president of the Keystone Reptile Club, which runs about
half the organized hunts, including Cross Fork, said he decided to end the
contests last year because of liability concerns and because he realized they sent
the wrong message about the treatment of the snakes.
In sacking contests, teams of two enter a pen filled with western
diamondback rattlesnakes (the state long ago stopped the use of native snakes) to see
which team can bag them the fastest. One person holds open a sack and the other
person tosses the snakes inside. Bites have occurred.
“Snake hunts often bill themselves as educational messages. There’s good
educational messages and bad educational messages,” Tredinnick said. “This is one
of the things we think sends the wrong message.”
As for the snake hunt, Gipe said: “We want to keep it going. But not doing
the sacking, I don’t know how much it’s going to affect us.”
Snake-hunt critics have found the sacking contests particularly troubling.
“If there is one deplorable element to a snake hunt in my mind, it’s
sacking,” said Jack Hubley, a wildlife lecturer and host of a weekly nature feature
for WGAL-TV in Lancaster.
He said the contests “reduce a magnificent animal to a score on a card. And
the animal itself is completely lost,” he said. The snakes can also be hurt.
Organized rattlesnake hunts “were born in an age when we were trying to rid
the world of these noxious beasts,” said Hubley, who believes the proposed
regulatory changes are a step in the right direction.
“Snake hunts themselves kind of place a value on the animal, and that’s not
bad,” he said.
The Keystone Reptile Club president agreed.
“If I get one person to stop killing every snake they see in their yard, I
think we’ve done a good thing,” Wheeler said.

Ssmacek 2006-07-18 17:06:15

This was on another list that I subscribe to and thought others would like to
see it. It gives me hope that maybe someday, the roundups will be abolished
here in New Mexico.

Posted on Sun, Jul. 16, 2006
email this
print this
Snake hunts endangered in Pa.
The sport, a popular fund-raiser for some volunteer fire departments, faces
restrictions by the state.
By Dan Nephin
Associated Press

CROSS FORK, Pa. – About halfway down a steep mountain valley, amid
sun-warmed rocks and a tree stump, three timber rattlesnakes lay coiled, soaking up the
midmorning June sun.
Unafraid, Shane Hahn moved in.
With a tool that looked like a golf club with a hook, he gently grabbed the
venomous snake near its head, using his other hand to lift its thick body.
About 45 inches long, it had a black head and eyes, with dark crossbands – a
black-phase rattlesnake.
A member of the Keystone Reptile Club, Hahn, of Waynesboro, Pa., was
demonstrating the sport of snake hunting on the weekend of the 34th annual Cross Fork
Snake Hunt, an event he and his companions were helping to run.
Organized hunts in which snakes are caught, measured, and then later
released are big fund-raisers for a handful of volunteer fire departments, mostly in
northern Pennsylvania. Seven hunts were permitted by the state this season,
which ends July 31 – five by fire departments, two by sports clubs.

But the State Fish and Boat Commission is worried about declining numbers of
timber rattlesnakes, which are considered “species of concern,” and is
proposing new restrictions. Hunt organizers fear the rule changes could hurt
fund-raising.
“This is 90 percent of our money right here,” said Barry Gipe, spokesman for
the Kettle Creek Hose Company No. 1, which clears $18,000 to $20,000 from the
event in Cross Fork, Potter County.
Although only a few dozen or so people may participate in an organized hunt,
the weekend festivals can draw several thousand people. Prizes are given for
categories including longest rattlesnake (53 inches was the longest of 21
brought in this year at Cross Fork); most rattles (21 this year), and the heaviest
pair (6 pounds, 12 ounces this year).
The state wants to raise permit fees from $5 to $50, figuring that fewer
people will hunt snakes; establish a 42-inch minimum length in hopes of
protecting smaller females; limit a hunter’s participation to one organized hunt a
year; and ban sacking contests.
“The whole plan here is to strike a balance between a recreational use and
trying to allow the species to continue,” said Dan Tredinnick, spokesman for
the fish commission, which expects to vote on the new rules Tuesday.
Last year, 1,126 people got permits to hunt snakes and 160 were taken.
Participants in organized hunts cannot kill snakes, though state law allows hunters
to get a permit to kill one a year. The state does not have statistics on how
many were killed or kept in captivity.
Gipe and other beneficiaries of the hunts said they worried that the
proposed restrictions could lead to the demise of snake hunts.
Already, sacking contests are falling by the wayside.
Bill Wheeler Jr., president of the Keystone Reptile Club, which runs about
half the organized hunts, including Cross Fork, said he decided to end the
contests last year because of liability concerns and because he realized they sent
the wrong message about the treatment of the snakes.
In sacking contests, teams of two enter a pen filled with western
diamondback rattlesnakes (the state long ago stopped the use of native snakes) to see
which team can bag them the fastest. One person holds open a sack and the other
person tosses the snakes inside. Bites have occurred.
“Snake hunts often bill themselves as educational messages. There’s good
educational messages and bad educational messages,” Tredinnick said. “This is one
of the things we think sends the wrong message.”
As for the snake hunt, Gipe said: “We want to keep it going. But not doing
the sacking, I don’t know how much it’s going to affect us.”
Snake-hunt critics have found the sacking contests particularly troubling.
“If there is one deplorable element to a snake hunt in my mind, it’s
sacking,” said Jack Hubley, a wildlife lecturer and host of a weekly nature feature
for WGAL-TV in Lancaster.
He said the contests “reduce a magnificent animal to a score on a card. And
the animal itself is completely lost,” he said. The snakes can also be hurt.
Organized rattlesnake hunts “were born in an age when we were trying to rid
the world of these noxious beasts,” said Hubley, who believes the proposed
regulatory changes are a step in the right direction.
“Snake hunts themselves kind of place a value on the animal, and that’s not
bad,” he said.
The Keystone Reptile Club president agreed.
“If I get one person to stop killing every snake they see in their yard, I
think we’ve done a good thing,” Wheeler said.

Ssmacek 2006-07-18 18:10:43

This was on another list that I subscribe to and thought others would like to
see it. It gives me hope that maybe someday, the roundups will be abolished
here in New Mexico.

Posted on Sun, Jul. 16, 2006
email this
print this
Snake hunts endangered in Pa.
The sport, a popular fund-raiser for some volunteer fire departments, faces
restrictions by the state.
By Dan Nephin
Associated Press

CROSS FORK, Pa. – About halfway down a steep mountain valley, amid
sun-warmed rocks and a tree stump, three timber rattlesnakes lay coiled, soaking up the
midmorning June sun.
Unafraid, Shane Hahn moved in.
With a tool that looked like a golf club with a hook, he gently grabbed the
venomous snake near its head, using his other hand to lift its thick body.
About 45 inches long, it had a black head and eyes, with dark crossbands – a
black-phase rattlesnake.
A member of the Keystone Reptile Club, Hahn, of Waynesboro, Pa., was
demonstrating the sport of snake hunting on the weekend of the 34th annual Cross Fork
Snake Hunt, an event he and his companions were helping to run.
Organized hunts in which snakes are caught, measured, and then later
released are big fund-raisers for a handful of volunteer fire departments, mostly in
northern Pennsylvania. Seven hunts were permitted by the state this season,
which ends July 31 – five by fire departments, two by sports clubs.

But the State Fish and Boat Commission is worried about declining numbers of
timber rattlesnakes, which are considered “species of concern,” and is
proposing new restrictions. Hunt organizers fear the rule changes could hurt
fund-raising.
“This is 90 percent of our money right here,” said Barry Gipe, spokesman for
the Kettle Creek Hose Company No. 1, which clears $18,000 to $20,000 from the
event in Cross Fork, Potter County.
Although only a few dozen or so people may participate in an organized hunt,
the weekend festivals can draw several thousand people. Prizes are given for
categories including longest rattlesnake (53 inches was the longest of 21
brought in this year at Cross Fork); most rattles (21 this year), and the heaviest
pair (6 pounds, 12 ounces this year).
The state wants to raise permit fees from $5 to $50, figuring that fewer
people will hunt snakes; establish a 42-inch minimum length in hopes of
protecting smaller females; limit a hunter’s participation to one organized hunt a
year; and ban sacking contests.
“The whole plan here is to strike a balance between a recreational use and
trying to allow the species to continue,” said Dan Tredinnick, spokesman for
the fish commission, which expects to vote on the new rules Tuesday.
Last year, 1,126 people got permits to hunt snakes and 160 were taken.
Participants in organized hunts cannot kill snakes, though state law allows hunters
to get a permit to kill one a year. The state does not have statistics on how
many were killed or kept in captivity.
Gipe and other beneficiaries of the hunts said they worried that the
proposed restrictions could lead to the demise of snake hunts.
Already, sacking contests are falling by the wayside.
Bill Wheeler Jr., president of the Keystone Reptile Club, which runs about
half the organized hunts, including Cross Fork, said he decided to end the
contests last year because of liability concerns and because he realized they sent
the wrong message about the treatment of the snakes.
In sacking contests, teams of two enter a pen filled with western
diamondback rattlesnakes (the state long ago stopped the use of native snakes) to see
which team can bag them the fastest. One person holds open a sack and the other
person tosses the snakes inside. Bites have occurred.
“Snake hunts often bill themselves as educational messages. There’s good
educational messages and bad educational messages,” Tredinnick said. “This is one
of the things we think sends the wrong message.”
As for the snake hunt, Gipe said: “We want to keep it going. But not doing
the sacking, I don’t know how much it’s going to affect us.”
Snake-hunt critics have found the sacking contests particularly troubling.
“If there is one deplorable element to a snake hunt in my mind, it’s
sacking,” said Jack Hubley, a wildlife lecturer and host of a weekly nature feature
for WGAL-TV in Lancaster.
He said the contests “reduce a magnificent animal to a score on a card. And
the animal itself is completely lost,” he said. The snakes can also be hurt.
Organized rattlesnake hunts “were born in an age when we were trying to rid
the world of these noxious beasts,” said Hubley, who believes the proposed
regulatory changes are a step in the right direction.
“Snake hunts themselves kind of place a value on the animal, and that’s not
bad,” he said.
The Keystone Reptile Club president agreed.
“If I get one person to stop killing every snake they see in their yard, I
think we’ve done a good thing,” Wheeler said.

Ssmacek 2006-07-18 18:14:18

This was on another list that I subscribe to and thought others would like to
see it. It gives me hope that maybe someday, the roundups will be abolished
here in New Mexico.

Posted on Sun, Jul. 16, 2006
email this
print this
Snake hunts endangered in Pa.
The sport, a popular fund-raiser for some volunteer fire departments, faces
restrictions by the state.
By Dan Nephin
Associated Press

CROSS FORK, Pa. – About halfway down a steep mountain valley, amid
sun-warmed rocks and a tree stump, three timber rattlesnakes lay coiled, soaking up the
midmorning June sun.
Unafraid, Shane Hahn moved in.
With a tool that looked like a golf club with a hook, he gently grabbed the
venomous snake near its head, using his other hand to lift its thick body.
About 45 inches long, it had a black head and eyes, with dark crossbands – a
black-phase rattlesnake.
A member of the Keystone Reptile Club, Hahn, of Waynesboro, Pa., was
demonstrating the sport of snake hunting on the weekend of the 34th annual Cross Fork
Snake Hunt, an event he and his companions were helping to run.
Organized hunts in which snakes are caught, measured, and then later
released are big fund-raisers for a handful of volunteer fire departments, mostly in
northern Pennsylvania. Seven hunts were permitted by the state this season,
which ends July 31 – five by fire departments, two by sports clubs.

But the State Fish and Boat Commission is worried about declining numbers of
timber rattlesnakes, which are considered “species of concern,” and is
proposing new restrictions. Hunt organizers fear the rule changes could hurt
fund-raising.
“This is 90 percent of our money right here,” said Barry Gipe, spokesman for
the Kettle Creek Hose Company No. 1, which clears $18,000 to $20,000 from the
event in Cross Fork, Potter County.
Although only a few dozen or so people may participate in an organized hunt,
the weekend festivals can draw several thousand people. Prizes are given for
categories including longest rattlesnake (53 inches was the longest of 21
brought in this year at Cross Fork); most rattles (21 this year), and the heaviest
pair (6 pounds, 12 ounces this year).
The state wants to raise permit fees from $5 to $50, figuring that fewer
people will hunt snakes; establish a 42-inch minimum length in hopes of
protecting smaller females; limit a hunter’s participation to one organized hunt a
year; and ban sacking contests.
“The whole plan here is to strike a balance between a recreational use and
trying to allow the species to continue,” said Dan Tredinnick, spokesman for
the fish commission, which expects to vote on the new rules Tuesday.
Last year, 1,126 people got permits to hunt snakes and 160 were taken.
Participants in organized hunts cannot kill snakes, though state law allows hunters
to get a permit to kill one a year. The state does not have statistics on how
many were killed or kept in captivity.
Gipe and other beneficiaries of the hunts said they worried that the
proposed restrictions could lead to the demise of snake hunts.
Already, sacking contests are falling by the wayside.
Bill Wheeler Jr., president of the Keystone Reptile Club, which runs about
half the organized hunts, including Cross Fork, said he decided to end the
contests last year because of liability concerns and because he realized they sent
the wrong message about the treatment of the snakes.
In sacking contests, teams of two enter a pen filled with western
diamondback rattlesnakes (the state long ago stopped the use of native snakes) to see
which team can bag them the fastest. One person holds open a sack and the other
person tosses the snakes inside. Bites have occurred.
“Snake hunts often bill themselves as educational messages. There’s good
educational messages and bad educational messages,” Tredinnick said. “This is one
of the things we think sends the wrong message.”
As for the snake hunt, Gipe said: “We want to keep it going. But not doing
the sacking, I don’t know how much it’s going to affect us.”
Snake-hunt critics have found the sacking contests particularly troubling.
“If there is one deplorable element to a snake hunt in my mind, it’s
sacking,” said Jack Hubley, a wildlife lecturer and host of a weekly nature feature
for WGAL-TV in Lancaster.
He said the contests “reduce a magnificent animal to a score on a card. And
the animal itself is completely lost,” he said. The snakes can also be hurt.
Organized rattlesnake hunts “were born in an age when we were trying to rid
the world of these noxious beasts,” said Hubley, who believes the proposed
regulatory changes are a step in the right direction.
“Snake hunts themselves kind of place a value on the animal, and that’s not
bad,” he said.
The Keystone Reptile Club president agreed.
“If I get one person to stop killing every snake they see in their yard, I
think we’ve done a good thing,” Wheeler said.

Derek bly 2006-07-18 20:47:30

Hope the roundups come to an end. I live in Lethbridge, Alberta in
Canada. I moved back here after being away for 17 years. I was
surprised to learn upon my return that the city has actually set
aside land to preserve the prairie rattlesnake population. In fact,
efforts are made to track the population, signs in the area advise
that the snakes live here and are protected.

This borders on a golf course, which sees the occasional rattlesnake
in the rough and along the fairways. Most people have learned to
simply give them a wide berth and not start swinging sticks and
clubs. So there is hope.

I’m actually pretty satisfied the way the new regulations are turning out.
They seem to have found a pretty good middle ground between conserving natives
herps, and for the pet hobby itself. Most, if not all the problems I had with
the original draft were addressed. The only thing I MAY have a problem with
yet is, they lower the number of native herps you can own from 2 to one
without any REAL evidence of most of their declines. But, I guess in their defense
I can understand erring on the side of conservation instead of state
extirpation. Since I don’t keep venomous, the added costs for rattlesnake permits
doesn’t really affect me, so I’m sure there will be some that disagree with
those added costs. But all in all, it seems to be coming out pretty good.